1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to a touch-screen system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a touch-screen system that is configurable to perform a forward scan, a row scan, and a column scan.
2. Related Art
Consumer electronic devices, such as an all-in-one computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite navigation device, video gaming device, a kiosk system in retail and tourist settings, a point of sale system, an automatic teller machine (ATM) to provide some examples, interact with an operator using a touch-screen. The touch-screen provides images to the operator and receives one or more commands and/or data from the operator. A touch-screen system detects a presence and/or a location of a touch from an operator, such as a finger of the operator or a hand of the operator to provide some example, and/or other passive objects available to the operator, such as a stylus to provide an example, within the touch-screen. The consumer electronic devices interpret the presence and/or the location of the touch as the one or more commands and/or the data from the operator.
A first conventional touch-screen system performs a forward scanning routine to sense local electrostatic fields between rows and columns within the touch-screen. The touch-screen includes rows of transparent conductive material, such as indium tin oxide to provide an example, and columns of the transparent conductive material that are arranged to form a touch sensitive area above a display area. During the forward scanning routine, transmitters provide measurement signals to the rows. Local electrostatic fields form between the rows and the columns in response to the measurement signals. The operator disrupts certain local electrostatic fields between the rows and the columns by touching, or being sufficiently proximate, to the display area. The local electrostatic fields, along with these disruptions, are received by receivers from the columns. The consumer electronic devices use these disruptions to interpret the presence and/or the location of the touch as the one or more commands and/or the data from the operator.
A second conventional touch-screen system performs a row scanning routine or a column scanning routine to sense local electrostatic fields between rows or columns within the touch-screen. During the rows scanning routine, transmitters provide measurement signals to the rows. Local electrostatic fields form between the rows in response to the measurement signals. The operator disrupts certain local electrostatic fields between the rows by touching, or being sufficiently proximate, to the touch-screen. The local electrostatic fields, along with these disruptions, are received by receivers from the rows. The consumer electronic devices use these disruptions to interpret the presence and/or the location of the touch as the one or more commands and/or the data from the operator.
However, the transmitters and the receivers of the first and the second conventional touch-screen systems are hard wired to the touch-screen. The first conventional touch-screen system cannot presently be configured to perform the row scanning or the column scanning routines. Likewise the second conventional touch-screen system cannot presently be configured to perform the forward scanning routine. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus that is configurable to perform a forward scan, a row scan, and a column scan that overcomes the shortcomings described above. Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description that follows.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the reference number.